Exercise & Fitness

New Kansas City Fitness Facilities: Lucia Aerial Arts

Jenny Prohaska’s career track could be called anything but normal. Her new venture stands out among Kansas City fitness facilities too.

For years, fitness junkies looking for an untraditional workout have turned to Jenny Prohaska, aerial arts instructor and former director of the Quixotic School of Performing Arts. In September, Prohaska left the Quixotic organization in the Crossroads to open her own school and performance company in Leawood, Lucia Aerial Performing Arts.

“Aerial arts and acrobatics is a unique combination of strength, flexibility [and] balance, all while being suspended by an apparatus,” Prohaska describes. “Aerial arts in general is cool because it requires the build-up of an amazing level of fitness, but you can start anywhere in your fitness level to get there. We can modify almost anything to accommodate a variety of fitness levels and body styles.”

Prohaska offers classes for students of all ages, with varying fitness needs and desires. “We have multiple apparatuses here at Lucia ranging from our incredibly popular silks (or aerial tissue) all the way to our unique rope class,” she says.

Her “Sprout Aerial” class, for instance, is specifically designed for children between the ages of 7 and 12. She also offers aerial yoga classes, courses in trapeze and lyra (which is similar to an aerial metal hula hoop) and even contortion sessions.

Lucia Aerial aspires to enrich a person’s life outside the studio, too. “My staff and I are great at helping students develop their own creative style, while also learning solid technique and the importance of a fit lifestyle,” Prohaska says. “We look at our work here at Lucia as an opportunity for people to not only become more fit and creative, but also to become unique people as well.”

She prides her studio on being welcoming to fitness fans of all ages and skill levels without being competitive. “Sometimes other recreational activities become more competitive, but ours is actively working to make it less about competition, and more about appreciating art and being part of a creative group,” she explains.

Within Lucia Aerial is a performance company for advanced students ranging in age from 9 to 53 who work together to produce original aerial art. “Each student is not only given the opportunity to learn new moves and tricks, but also to learn about the creation of performance art,” Prohaska says. “We have fun events all the time like ‘A Very Lucia Thanksgiving’ where we all bring thanksgiving dinner to the studio and play and eat.”

Lucia Aerial’s first performances are scheduled for March 7 and 8 at the Kansas City Ballet. To learn more about Lucia Aerial or to sign up for a class, visit Lucia Aerial at the link below.

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